Acetylene-gas generator.



P. F. WILLIS.

AGETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.'7, 1911.

Patented Jan.2, 1912.

COLUMBIA PMNDGRAPI! CO..WASIIINGTON. n. C.

UNITE STA ES,

ATT Q it) ACETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, 1912.

Application filed August 7, 1811. Seria1 1\To. 642,811.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PRIOR F. WILLIS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the-city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Acetylene-Gas Generators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to acetylene-gas generators in which the-carbid is delivered from a carbid-receptacle into a body of water within a closed tank or water-receptacle.

It has for its principal objects to provide means for delivering the carbid automatically to the water only as needed and in such manner that the carbid will be completely decomposed in the water; to minimize resistance of the working parts; to prevent clogging; and to attain certain other advantages hereinafter more fully appearing.

The invention consists in the parts and in v the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing which forms part of this specification and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur, Figure 1 is a vertical section through a generator embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section of the carbid-receptacle, showing a portion of the means for operating it; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the carbid-receptacle collapsed; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view, partly in vertical section and partly in side elevation, showing a lock for the device which effects the discharge of the carbid from the receptacle; and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view, in top plan, of the parts shown in Fig. 4.

The general construction and arrangement of the generator, except as to the carbid-receptacle, may be of any desirable type. As shown in the drawings, the generator comprises a closed tank 1, in the bottom of which is a hopper 2 and a residuum drawoff 3. An agitator 4 is located in the tank 1 in proximity to the hopper 2. Water is filled into the tank 1 t0 the level indicated by the broken line or to any other desirable level. Leading from the tank 1 is a gasoutlet pipe 5 to which is attached a vertical pipe 6. The pipe 6 communicates with a flashback cylinder 7 The flashback cylinder 7 communicates with a filter 8 through a pipe 9 and from the filter 8 leads a servwhich is preferably conoidal, as shown.

The bottom member 12 is mounted on suitable supports 13 which are secured to the side of the tank 1.

The uppermost telescopic section 11 is attached to the end portions of a substantially U-shape member 1 1 whose middle portion is secured to a boss or nut 15 having a screwthreaded bore which fits the threaded lower portion 16 of a vertically disposed spindle or shaft 17.

The lower end portion of the spindle or shaft 17 is swiveled in a bearing 18 at the middle of a cross bar or supporting bracket 19 extending horizontally across the tank 1. The upper end portion of the shaft or spindle 17 .extends up through the top of the tank 1 and has a gear 20 fixed thereon which meshes with a gear 21 fixed on a spindle on which is also fixed a spool or drum 22.

A cord 23 is wound about the spool or drum 22 and carried over a pulley 24 on a. supporting bracket 25 at the top of the tank 1, and weights 26 are suspended from the end of the cord 23. By this arrangement. when the cord has been wound on the spool or drum 22, the weights 26 will cause the cord to unwind therefrom and thereby effect the rotation of the vertical shaft or spindle 17.

When the shaft or spindle 18 rotates in one direction, the nut 15 being held against rotation by reason ofthe U-shaped supporting member 14 bearing against the bottom supports 13, the uppermost telescopic sec tion 11 of the carbid-receptacle is pulled downwardly; and when the shaft is rotated in the opposite direction, said telescopic sec tion is raised.

As shown in the drawings, the uppermost telescopic section 11 has an inturned annular flange at its bottom edge, while the middle section has an outturned flange at edges, as more clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

When the uppermost telescopic section 11 is raised to the position shown in Fig. 1, its flange supports the top flange of the middle section, the outturned flange at the top of the lowermost section rests upon the inturned bottom flange of said middle section, and the inturned flange of the lowermost section engages the under side of the conoidal bottom member 12.

When the uppermost telescopic section is lowered (the receptacle being empty as shown in Fig. 2), the two lower sections suspended from the uppermost section will, of course, drop with said uppermost section until the inturned flange at the top of the lowermost section rests upon the top side of the bottom member 12. The inturned flange at the bottom of intermediate section then comes to rest on the outturned flange at the bottom of the lowermost section and then the inturned flange at the bottom of the uppermost section comes to rest upon the outturned flange at the bottom of the intermediate section and the receptacle is finally collapsed as shown in Fig. 3. However, should the receptacle be filled as shown in Fig. 1, the pressure of the mass of carbid against the sides of the middle and lowermost sections 11, in some cases, will be sufficient to hold them. The uppermost section will then first move downward until its inturned flange strikes the outturned flange at the bottom of the middle section; whereupon, the middle section will be moved downward until its inturned flange strikes the outturned flange at the bottom of the lowermost section. It will thus be seen that instead of having to move the entire receptacle at one time, it is collapsed section by section, thereby reducing resistance which the motor has to overcome. Obviously, the number of the telescopic sections may be varied as desirable. So, too, instead of providing continuous annular flanges on both cooperating portions of adjoining sections,

lugs may be provided at intervals on one of the sections so as to cooperate with a continuous flange on the other section, as is obvious.

Feather-keyed on the vertical shaft or spindle '17 is a sweeper or scraper 27 which comprises a hub portion from which extend horizontal arms 28. The arms 28 rest normally on the top edge of the uppermost telescopic section 11, and as the receptacle is collapsed the scraper follows down the shaft 17, rotating all the while with the shaft. The arms thus sweep the carbid from the top of the receptacle and it drops into the water below.

Any suitable governing means for controlling the discharge of the carbid from the receptacle may be provided. As shown in tank.

the drawings, pipe 29 communicates with the gas-outlet pipe 5 and with a casing 30 containing a diaphragm adapted to operate a lever 31 pivotally mounted at one end on said casing 30 and having at its opposite end some device adapted to lock the motor which operates the shaft spindle 17 Preferably, a hand-wheel 32 is fixed on the upper end of the shaft 17 and the lever is bifurcated or provided with a pair of oppositely disposed hooks 33 adapted to respectively enter behind the rim portion of the handwheel so as to be in the path of one of the spokes thereof. A suitable guide 3 1 is provided on the top of the tank 1 which will permit the lever 31 to swing vertically but hold it against lateral movement. A weight 35 is slidably mounted on said lever 31.

In practice, the weight 35 is adjusted for a predetermined pressure within the tank 1, so that when the pressure reaches that particular degree, the lever 31 will stand as shown in Fig. 1 with its two hooks 33 in neutral position; that is, out of engagement with the hand-wheel 32 so that the latter is free to rotate. When the hand-wheel is thus released, the weight 26 will effect the rotation of the shaft 17, and, of course, the downward movement of the receptacle sections. As soon as the proper amount of carbid has been dropped into the water and the pressure is raised to a higher degree, the lever 31 is raised so that the lower hook member 33 engages the hand-wheel to prevent further rotation thereof. Thus, the feeding of the carbid to the water is automatically controlled. Should the pressure fall below the desired degree, the lever 31 will drop and the upper hook member 33 will engage the hand-wheel and stop the rotation of the shaft 17. This will indicate that the carbid-receptacle has become empty or that the gas has ,ceased generating in the storing the carbid-receptacle to normal position and re-winding the cord on the drum 22.

Obviously, the device admits of considerable modification without departing from my invention. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the specific construction and arrangement shown.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In an acetylene-gas generator, a progressively collapsible carbid receptacle and means operating continuously at the top of the receptacle for feeding the carbid therefrom.

2. In an acetylene-gas generator, a col- The hand-wheel is also useful in re-" lapsible carbid receptacle having a stationary bottom and a vertically movable wall or walls, and mechanical means operating continuously adjacent to the top of said wall or walls for feeding the carbid thereover.

3. In an acetylene-gas generator, a collapsible carbid receptacle and means for feeding the carbid from the top thereof, said means comprising a rotatable sweeper adapted to follow said receptacle downward.

4. In an acetylene-gas generator, a collapsible carbid receptacle comprising a stationary bottom member and telescopic side members, and means for supporting and progressively telescoping said side members.

5. In an acetylene-gas generator, a collapsible carbid receptacle comprising a bot tom, telescopic side walls, and a feeding de vice in cooperative relation to the top of said receptacle and adapted to follow it downward.

6. In an acetylene-gas generator, a collapsible carbid receptacle comprising a stationary bottom, a series of telescopic members constituting the side walls of said receptacle, a supporting device for said side Walls, said device being movable vertically but prohibited from rotation, and means for moving said supporting device vertically.

7. In an acetylenegas generator, a collapsible carbid receptacle comprising a sta tionary bottom, a series of telescopic members constituting the side walls of said receptacle, a supporting device for said side walls, said device being movable vertically but prohibited from rotation, means for moving said supporting device vertically,

and means for feeding the carbid from the top of said receptacle.

8. In an acetylene-gas generator, a collapsible carbid-receptacle comprising a stationary conoidal bottom and a series of telescopic sections constituting the side walls of said receptacle, the respective side wall sections having cooperating upper and lower marginal supporting portions, and vertically movable means for supporting the uppermost wall section.

9. I11 an acetylene-gas generator, a col-, lapsible carbid receptacle comprising a stationary conoidal bottom member, a series of telescopic members constituting the side walls of said receptacle, a supporting device adapted to hold said telescopic members extended and being movable vertically so that when moved downwardly, said telescopic sections are sleeved successively the one upon the other.

10. In an acetylene-gas generator, a collapsible carbid receptacle, mechanical means for progressively collapsing said receptacle, mechanical means for feeding the carbid therefrom, and means actuated by the pressure within the generator for controlling said collapsing and feeding means.

11. In an acetylene-gas generator, a collapsible carbid receptacle comprising a stationary bottom and a series of telescopic sections constituting the side Walls of said receptacle, means, for supporting said telescopic sections extended and for lowering them successively, means for feeding the carbi'd from the top of said receptacle, and means actuated by the pressure within the generator for controlling said feeding means and said supporting and lowering means for said side wall sections.

12. In an acetylene-gas generator, a collapsible carbid receptacle comprising a stationary bottom member and a series of telescopic sections constituting the side walls of said receptacle, a vertically disposed rotatory shaft extending through said carbid receptacle, a support for said telescopic sections mounted on said shaft, means for causing said support to travel on said shaft lengthwise thereof when the latter is rotated, means for holding said support against rotation during its travel on said shaft, and a feeding device mounted on said shaft so as to rotate therewith and also to travel lengthwise thereon in proximity to the top of said receptacle.

Signed at St. Louis, Mo., this 29th day of July, 1911.

PRIOR F. IVILLIS.

Witnesses:

G. A. PENNINGTON, PAULINE AMBERG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

